Grafting rootstock question and compatability

General Fruit Growing
1

Hi all,

I was thinking about picking up some rootstocks this year from burnt ridge and had a question for you on rootstock grafting.

My question is can I just graft right away onto these small rootstocks or do I need to grow the rootstocks out for a year in pots then graft onto them the following spring?

I am going to be spring trimming my fruit trees to shape them up and I figured why toss all of the scions, try grafting? Seems like a good way to propagate some of my trees on the cheap!

I am in SoCal and was thinking of using the following rootstocks (because these are the varieities available) What do you all think? I do have issues with nematodes (root knot) and DO NOT have issues with too much water…due to dry california. Also, I am willing to purchase from another vendor if a suggested rootstock is not available from this vendor OR if it’s not on my list.

Rootstock list…

Myro 29C - plums

Nemaguard - peaches
Lovell - peaches, plums? Not sure about this one, due to nematode issues

M111 - apples

OHxF x 333 - pears

Also, if there is a super successful rootstock for my neck of the woods I would love to hear what you have to say. Fire away!

Thank you all!

Sean

2

I have grafted apples on bare root, very young rootstock. No problem. Have also had to re-graft on rootstock where the 1st attempt failed or stuck the rootstock into the ground and ever got around to grafting it the initial year or one that was mowed down by lawn mower (dont ask), no problem.

3

ok cool then I probably can get away with it…

anyone have opinions on the chosen rootstocks?

4

I have done it both ways and either way it works ok, but growing rootstock for a year before grafting is my preference. If you have space, plant rootstocks in the ground, watering them in pots through the whole summer is a major PITA.

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5

I mostly graft without growing a year first. My caution would be that the grafts are more prone to be damaged by rabbits or insects while they are small and might need a hardware cloth protection for awhile.

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6

Agree. My plants in the soil require less additional water than the ones in pots.

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7

So @Stan do you just dig them up when they go dormant in winter, plant them in their designated spot then graft onto them?

thanks for the help everyone

8

You can do that. For me, usually one of two things happen:

  1. I plant a rootstock directly in its designated spot and then graft onto it in the field.
  2. A rootstock grows in a pot for a year and then I graft onto it and either plant it in its designated spot, or, if I don’t yet have a space available for that tree, it continues to grow in a pot.
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9

OK awesome. This is all new to me (grafting) so right now im researching, compatibility, timing and which grafts to use and when. Whew! It’s a lot! Maybe im overcomplicating it?

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10

Seems like there’s always more than one right answer in Grafting World.

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11

Lots of good answers here, so not much to add. I would recommend letting pear rootstocks grow out before grafting if they are bare root. Supposedly, they are especially prone to transplant shock and will reflect grafts if they aren’t happy. This happened to me this spring. Pears are supposed to be one of the easiest, but they were by far my lowest success rate.

Another thing to consider is that if you grow it out for a year before trimming it down, it will establish a larger root system and then push better growth when you graft it. Or, so the theory goes. I wasn’t that patient!

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12

Also, if you’re interested in more varieties, you could try swapping your prunings for other varieties here on the forum in the trading post.

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13

Good Morning,
Once grafted do you guys plant the rootstock into soil or store in moist wood hips and wait till chance of front to be gone? I finished 20 grafts 2 nights ago so time is money